Once upon a November
by SasukeTanteiPHlover
Summary: V has been killed, and no one has forgotten his name. However, a certain young prince has been plagued by disturbing nightmares about a man in a mask. Young Lelouch does not remember, but once upon a November, HE was the fearsome man who fought gallantly for justice-V the terrorist. What happens when he confronts the feelings of deja vu and these strange dreams?
1. Chapter 1 V reborn

**A/N:This is another new fanfiction created from my reaction to the AWESOME movie "V for Vendetta", which I watched yesterday. I fell in love with it and decided to make a new story based on it! I hope everyone enjoys this story!**

**Chapter 1: The Black Prince **

* * *

A long time ago, a man inspired the entire world and changed a nation so much that no one would ever forget him, even though they knew nothing about his name or his past. They knew only his reputation and his masked face for which he became famous, also they knew him from his flair for the dramatic and his revolution which changed history forever. This man's name was unknown, and he only went by the name V.

The idea of a name was unnecessary for those who had believed in V's hope of a better world. For them, his dreams and hopes, the things he preached and believed in would always be enough for them. Even if he was not remembered by his name, he would always be remembered for what he had accomplished in his life. He was honored posthumously once the dictatorial empire that had once been had fallen. However, what the newly free people didn't know was that their leader would live on in more ways than one.

He had made a sacrifice for the entire world and that required his death. However, he had faced death bravely and for that, everyone looked up to him and admired him deeply. There was not a single human on the face of the planet that did not know his name. The UK was slowly rebuilding itself up after his death. Six long years had passed and the recovery was still far from complete. The political parties had difficulty relinquishing their hold on the government and allowing more than one to run for president, but it was done. Now, the people were gradually removing the old laws and putting in new ones that would help everyone be happy.

The work was far from over, though, and everyone knew that. The supporters of V clung to his former glory and won positions in the new government, even though later on they were called traitors. Their time for changing history was still continuing, and even though V was gone, they were not. As such, duty fell upon them to remake the world and its history. It was not an easy task to accomplish, but most people just tried their hardest with what they had.

* * *

It was a peaceful, tranquil night in a certain area. This place was far different than the world that V had lived in-it still had its hands trapped in the nightmarish claws of a society so fierce that it made V's pale in comparison. This country had once been called Japan before a fiercely racist empire, The Holy Empire of Britannia, had taken it over and renamed it Area 11. The Japanese had everything stolen away from them.

However, there was something significant going on in this country. There was also a mysterious masked hero named Zero who had started rallying the Japanese against the Britannians in an attempt to win their country back. However, like V, no one knew his true identity. That was probably part of the appeal for Zero, as well. The press enjoyed seeing the Elevens get all riled up and it made for a good news story.

However, it pissed off the people who ruled over the Areas- the Britannian Royal Family, but that was exactly what the terrorist Zero wanted. He wanted to start an uprising and get rulers pissed off. It was part of what he needed to have happen-he couldn't just stage an attack and have the Viceroys of the area shrugging it off.

At the moment, this world was far different than V's, but something strange was going on in a particular academy. For most, night usually represents lots of good rest and peaceful, relaxing sleep that would last until they awoke in the morning. However, for one person, sleep was never that relaxing-or peaceful. The two words were like an oxymoron in his mind.

A person turned over on their bed, sweat staining their sheets. The other who slept near him was a little irritated at this, but she merely sighed and kept on sleeping. He usually never slept peacefully. At the moment, he was caught up in a bizarre nightmare about...fire, smoke, and all kinds of strange things that one should not normally dream of.

_He saw his mother...lying dead on the staircase, with blood pooling out of her naked body. Below her was his sister, her blue eyes wide open in terror. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she could see no more. His precious sister was never going to be the same. His eyes widened in terror as suddenly the palace caught on fire, and she was still in there. _

_"No...no, I have to get her, I have to save her! I have to save her!" He cried. "!" He screamed. _

* * *

He awoke with a start and panted slightly. His black hair hung in his face as he rubbed his eyes for a few moments before pushing it aside in annoyance. His intelligent purple eyes scanned his room in order to make sure that it was still his room, and that it wasn't anywhere else. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you all right, Lelouch?" A female voice asked. It seemed to be coming from beside him. The young man-Lelouch Lamperouge- knew that voice very well. He turned to stare at the sleepy girl beside him.

A girl with long, lime-green hair and golden eyes stared at him in concern, though her expression was more of perennial boredom. It rather contradicted her meaning in an amusing way that made Lelouch's eyebrow rise slightly. "_You_ are a walking contradiction, C.C."

"This coming from the man who wants to destroy his own country, and yet carries the blood of the people who rule it in his veins?" C.C. taunted.

"True. I'm fine, C.C. I just had some...of those nightmares again. I don't know why they keep on happening." He replied distantly. He had tried time and time again to figure out why he was plagued by these sorts of nightmares. He had not yet discovered why, but he assumed that maybe it was due to his ever-present fear of Britannia discovering that he and sister were still alive and then being forced back into royalty-or something just brought on from his alter ego as Zero.

"It's all right, Lelouch." C.C. said. "Everyone gets nightmares, including me. You'd better be prepared to bring me a bunch of pizza tomorrow."

"You'll have nightmares if I take this...and hide it somewhere where you will never, ever, find it, right C.C.?" Lelouch hissed menacingly, waving his credit card in front of her face.

"You truly are an evil man." C.C. sighed and pushed her green hair out of her face. "To think that you would give _me_ nightmares..."

"I suppose that it is only natural that I would have nightmares when I am a terrorist who is trying to overthrow a country and give freedom to another. Why, though, am I afraid of fire?" He said.

"Who knows why people have fears, Lelouch? The whole world is in itself full of questions. I am wondering whether or not you will actually bring me pizza tomorrow-"

"You know what that answer will be, witch, you're just trying to be an idiot." Lelouch quipped.

"Oh, good. It seems even with your weird nightmares, you still retain your sense of humor, isn't thart right, Lelouch?" C.C. quipped again.

But Lelouch had already fallen back asleep. C.C. shook her head in disbelief at the sight of the sleeping boy. "He is every bit as complex and fascinating as you are, Marianne. I know full well that he's very difficult and hard to deal with, but that's just part of his charm, you know. It makes me even more fond of him. Perhaps I am just being manipulative again, like you say."

She shook her head. "You're mistaken in that assumption, you know. I am not lying to Lelouch at all, I merely wish to help him."

She smiled slightly. "Perhaps there is an answer to all of these questions, Marianne. You know him better than I do, after all. You told me that he has been having these dreams since he was a child, and that none of you could figure out what they meant. Is that true?"

When she got no response, she sighed. "It seems you don't want to answer me, huh?"

_He was having another nightmare again. A nightmare about things burning and someone crying out in pain. Lelouch hated these nightmares, yet it seemed like there was nothing he could really do to stop them. They kept on plaguing him no matter how many times he tried to get rid of them. _

_Lelouch shivered in fright as the flaming figure came towards him..._

He awoke then, covered in sweat.

"Have you told Nunnally about these dreams?" C.C. inquired.

"Sometimes." He answered. "I don't want to worry her too much, though."

* * *

Little did he know that his dreams would not go away simply because he wanted them to. These dreams had a deeper meaning than Lelouch thought they did, and he had to face the truth sooner or later. The truth that was buried beneath his subconscious and his memories of his present life would soon be unearthed, whether he liked it or not. For Lelouch vi Britannia, the young exiled prince, was the reincarnation of the terrorist V. The young prince had no clue of the events to come that would change his life for the better, but if he had, he would dismiss them as idle nonsense.

For Lelouch, past lives were nothing more than idle nonsense. He highly doubted there was anything behind these dreams.


	2. Chapter 2 Evey's dream

**A/N:No, this Evey is _not_ a furry fox with a bushy tail that is capable of evolving into six different forms of itself with evolutionary stones. Yes, I'm a Pokemon fan. So? Anyhow, thank you for the three reviews! I think Evey is either alive or else she's reincarnated...originally, it was going to be reincarnated, but I may change it. **

* * *

**Chapter 2 Evey**

Sometimes, Evey thought, sometimes she wished that V had not died. Being the new V was tough work, and she lacked the charisma and confidence that _he _had possessed. How was she to actually fool the public into believing that she was really the real V when the real one had died on that night six years ago? She was no good at pretending, but she had gotten better at perfecting her skills. Somewhat better, she thought as she sat in V's underground lair, which he had entrusted to her. She rather liked the solitude that it provided, even though the days when one had to watch what one said or did were long over.

She was not very social anymore, and most of the time she would come down here just to be alone, just to get away from the outside world and spend some time with herself. Sometimes, she watched _The Count of Monte Cristo _and pictured V sitting next to her and imagined his reaction to the plot twists in it, even though he would probably just laugh and say that he would watch it again even though he knew what would happen next. Sometimes she would visit her friends at work at their houses and talk about the news, about the latest weather reports; anything to take her mind off of the dead terrorist who still haunted her heart.

She knew that sooner or later she would have to get over V and try to look for someone else to love, but somehow, she couldn't. She felt, somehow, that he was still alive and well, somewhere. That was all nonsense, of course. She simply missed him and convinced herself that he was alive. Evey was always haunted by the past; V was simply one of the many ghosts that haunted her. Her brother's ghost, her father's, V's, were always in her memory and in her mind, no matter what sort of mood she was in.

But if it was at all possible that she could ever know who V was or what his past was like, she would have loved to find out the truth. V had never let her know who he was, and his past had died with him. He reminded her of a specter in the way he had floated into her life for a little while and then had disappeared altogether. What if he had never existed at all? No, that was absurd.

She would love to have known V's real name, his past, his face...but somehow, she was content with knowing his alias and making sure that his legacy lived on. However, she found herself wondering if an afterlife was really possible or if reincarnation existed. Sometimes, she would dream about V. Other times, her dreams would turn strange and would show her a foreign country, where V did not exist, where giants prowled the landscapes, where people had weird hair colors and eye colors to match and the rules of logic seemed completely absurd.

As she sat on the couch watching the news, she felt awfully tired. It was not out of the ordinary, as news does tend to bore one to sleep rather than keep one interested, but she hadn't done much work today, other than appear as V in public to a crowd of onlookers and give a few speeches. So far, no one seemed to have noticed that V's voice probably sounded more like a female than a male. She wondered if she was just lucky. Sooner or later, someone would probably figure out that she wasn't the real V.

Her eyelids drooped and she soon fell asleep, into the mysterious world of sleep and dreams, the world that cannot be explained in conventional terms. She fell into a deep and relaxing sleep, the kind that causes very odd and lucid dreams that seem and feel strangely real...

* * *

"**Hey, wake up." _(This part is a dream sequence.)  
_**

She heard a voice. Was it in her mind?

"**Come on, get up! We have a lot of work to do today!**" The voice urged. It was male and it sounded exactly like his voice..._V's. _Why was he calling her? That made no sense. V was supposed to be dead and buried, so why was he talking to her?

_"...V?_" She muttered tiredly, and her brown orbs slowly flickered open and she found herself in a strange room of some sort. She seemed to be lying on a white bed of some sort. It felt strangely familiar, somehow. "Where is this?" She asked.

"You passed out, miss. I merely found you and brought you home." The male voice responded. It sounded smooth and very refined, very polite and there was something about his voice that made her heart pound in her chest. Why did she feel heartbroken and sad...?

She sat up and she realized that she was indeed in a bedroom of some sort. However, she didn't really recognize it. Suddenly, she noticed her brother was smiling at her. In his arms was a toy of some sort. Her father was seated in a chair near her bed, and was stroking her forehead.

"Are you all right, dear? If it hadn't been for this young man here, we would have never found you!" He exclaimed, pointing to a young man beside them who was also seated. He was staring intently at her and seemed to be pretty focused on her at the moment. Her eyes widened upon seeing him.

The young man was very tall, and quite skinny. He was wearing black clothing that had a strange golden symbol on the sides. It almost resembled a Fleur-de-lis, but not quite. His hair was jet-black and quite long. It hung in his face rather messily, giving him a mischievous look. But it was as she stared into his EYES that she found herself mesmerized.

His eyes were..._purple. _She had never seen anyone with such gorgeous eyes before and stared, open-mouthed at him for a few moments until her father shook his head at her.

"Staring is rude, dear." He scolded. "Tell the nice young man thank you and ask him his name now."

* * *

Evey felt overwhelmed by what was going on here and the weirdest thing about this whole entire event was that...her brother and her father were all alive. How was that possible? All of them were dead. Who was the young man in the corner who was staring at her with those interesting purple eyes of his?

"Thank you. What is your name, sir?" Evey asked, and was surprised to realize that her voice sounded high-pitched. She was a child again!

To her surprise, the young man chuckled and stood up and extended a hand out to touch hers before he spoke in that smooth, invigorating voice of his. "...Lelouch. Lelouch Lamperouge, Miss...?" He asked, pausing for a moment and tilting his head towards her in acknowledgement.

"Evey." She said.

"Do we need to evolve you? Where are the stones?" "Lelouch" joked, making a Pokemon reference. Upon seeing Evey's furious face, the young man's face softened. "Hey, it was only a joke."

"So, Lelouch, where do you go to school at?" Her father asked. "Surely you have heard of the horrid state of affairs here in England."

The boy raised an eyebrow for a moment. "England? I was under the impression that it was called Britannia, sir. Actually, I go to a school that is quite far from here. It's a nice, quaint place, you know. Do you write books?" He asked.

Her father nodded. "Yes, I do. I'm against the Party's ways of thinking."

"That kind of talk can get you killed, you know. However, did you know that _you can only kill if you are only prepared to be killed_?" Lelouch muttered before waving a chess piece in his hand and staring at Evey's father in interest. "Care for a game of chess?"

Her father smiled. "Sure thing."

Evey noticed her little brother smiling happily. There was something familiar about the young man in front of her...his actions, his mannerisms, could he really be...?

"Have we met before...?" She asked. The black-haired boy turned to stare at her in curiosity.

"I'm sorry?" He asked.

"Have we met somewhere before?" She repeated. The boy blinked for a moment before an enigmatic smile made its way on his face.

"Perhaps..." He replied. "By the way...check."

Her father gaped visibly upon seeing that he had just been nearly trounced by a student!

"Mr. Lelouch, we were wondering if you would..."

* * *

Suddenly, Evey awoke and realized that she had fallen asleep and that the television was still on. The newsman was busy giving out tonight's forecast.

"Tonight, we're going to have rain, folks. Be prepared to drive home in rainy weather, and also...please stay indoors if you live near flat regions or regions with any creeks. Now on to our latest news segment: today there are reports of..._ravens! Tons of ravens have been seen flying all across England for no apparent reason! Nature must be preparing them for something."_

The newswoman next to him smiled. "Yes. Though the birds in _my _backyard are quite troublesome."

Evey turned off the television and stared at the ceiling. A mental image of the young man from her dream appeared. Tall, dark-haired, with purple eyes...that was quite an impressive dream man. But he had seemed so...**real** and he had seemed so much like V. What if reincarnation was possible?

She sat up. There was something she had to do. She had to contact someone. Dominic. He might know the answers.

_V..._

* * *

Lelouch sneezed rather loudly in his room and wiped his nose. His little sister, Nunnally Lamperouge, giggled. "Big brother, was someone thinking about you?"

Lelouch smiled as he turned to regard his little sister, who could not walk or see thanks to an attack that had taken the life of his mother years earlier. He would always protect her, always, always...

"I don't know, Nunnally."

"Are you sure?" Nunnally teased back. The two of them were very close, so it was almost like both of them could tell what the other was thinking almost instaneously.

"I'm sure...that I don't know." Lelouch's voice died down to a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3 Very Vicious reveries

A/N:This is good. I love having five reviews. I really enjoy working on this story, but I have to update another story now.

Chapter 3 Lelouch's dilemma

* * *

Lelouch vi Britannia frowned as he sat on his bed in the Ashford Academy clubhouse. He wasn't entirely sure what his next course of action against Britannia would be, and he was having difficulty enough trying to _even _think about it, thanks to his stupid dreams. He was really getting sick of having these dreams and not understanding what they meant. To Lelouch, if something didn't make sense to him, it really got under his skin. He was a very logical and rational person, so he did not think that these dreams meant anything at all.

Dreams were just that; dreams, in other words, fantasy. There was no way dreams could ever be analyzed or seen as to what they meant. They were just confusing, bewildering things his mind concocted to amuse himself while he was asleep and nothing more. Anyone else who claimed to have the answer as to what they meant usually was a fraud. Once he had asked a few people about his dreams, but only one person had suggested something really odd.

Suzaku had suggested that perhaps he was just too stressed out by gambling and trying to hide his identity as an exiled prince. That was wrong. He had gotten used to lying and having a fake life, it was not hard to get used to. Especially if it felt like it wasn't the first time he had done it. He frowned again upon hearing that thought. He dismissed it as pure coincidence.

Deja vu. He had heard of that term before, but he had never really supposed it could suit his problem at all. The last he had heard, deja vu was nothing more than a myth concocted by fools who wanted to think there was something beyond this life. Was it possible, though, that maybe there was a way to get these annoying dreams out of his life so that way he could return to his life as Zero? Speaking of Zero, even putting on a mask...had always seemed so..._natural _to him.

Why was he getting deja vu again? His purple eyes narrowed. "...That's nonsense. Why am I even thinking of things like this?"

His partner, C.C., was beside him on the bed. Her golden, cat-like eyes studied him for a moment. She wanted to ask him something, he knew. "Lelouch, are you troubled?"

He scoffed. "Nothing you can solve, witch. Just go back to eating your damned pizza." He replied coldly.

She chuckled slightly. "If you're being cold, it simply means you don't want to talk about something because you're too proud to admit it, boy. Do you take me for a fool? Your mother was the same way: obstinate, haughty, and ridiculously proud to a fault."

Lelouch's eyes widened considerably before he turned to stare at her. "What do you know about my mother?" He stammered.

She sighed before she turned to face Lelouch. "I was one of her close friends. She, too had geass. That's how I know so much about you. Sadly, she died. You know the rest."

Lelouch sighed as he struggled to accept the shocking news. Was it really possible that his mother-his beloved, kind, sweet, mother had had geass? It was shocking enough to him to learn that C.C had known his mother and had not said a thing the first time they met, but this...was too hard to believe.

He sighed. "What else are you hiding?"

"You know I'm never going to be completely honest with you. That's how it works, Lelouch. While you're Zero, you never let anyone see your face, right?" She said, before smirking slightly. "That's the way the world works. We all wear a mask, all have things we don't discuss, you know. That's why...it's important to keep a mask."

Lelouch just stared at her. He couldn't speak. Somehow, he seemed to have lost the ability to talk upon hearing her say that. That term...the idea of "wearing a mask" suddenly...seemed all too familiar. He froze and suddenly he heard a word being whispered in his mind...no, a single letter.

* * *

_V._

Lelouch raised an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head. _What the hell is that supposed to mean? It's only a letter. _

Somehow, it meant more than that to him. The letter gave him goose-bumps every time he looked at a book with the name in it, every time he read a word that happened to contain that letter in it...some sort of feeling like electricity would come into his skin. Something that screamed, no practically _begged _to be acknowledged by his mind.

"Lelouch, are you all right?" C.C asked, staring at the young man in front of her in concern. When he didn't respond, she reached out to touch his hand. He pushed her hand aside and stood up. His face had gone chalk-white and he still wasn't speaking. Something was deeply wrong here. She stood up and shook him. "Lelouch, stop spacing out!"

He stared at her then with wide eyes. He seemed to regain his focus then, and he stared at her in alarm. "Why do you have your arms near my neck? Are you trying to strangle me now, C.C?" He asked.

"No. You were spacing out. What did you think of...?" She asked, pausing and waiting for his answer. "Lelouch, whatever is the matter?"

"...That's the problem. I don't _know what the problem is, C.C. _Why do I hate the letter V so much? I don't know why...yet I hate it with every fiber of my being. I can't explain this feeling very well, C.C." He replied. His purple eyes were dull.

"Lelouch...snap out of it! Come on, now is NOT the time to space out. Lelouch, come on!"

He continued to stare straight ahead until C.C decided to resort to desperate measures. She sighed and then picked up her pizza box and dumped all of the pizza onto the carpet, making a huge mess. Instantly, Lelouch seemed to recover himself and just stared at her for a moment before he asked, "What just happened?" His eyes narrowed upon seeing the mess on his nice carpet. "C.C, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS MESS!?"

snickered slightly. "Oh, I don't know, boy. I just got bored, so I decided to do some..._redecorating."_

"_Redecorating? You call __**this redecorating?**_ Are you out of your mind? Pick all of this up!" He commanded. His geass flared.

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't work on me, you know that already."

He hit his forehead. "Damn it! If only I could geass you."

"Won't happen anytime soon, boya, so don't get your hopes up on it."

He glared at her. "You're so disgusting."

"Whatever. It's your fault for spacing out. You were spacing out for a good three minutes. What was wrong with you?"

"Huh?" Lelouch just stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you hypnotize yourself with your geass, boy?" She joked. He glared at her.

"Why would I do something so stupid?" Lelouch demanded. "That would be a pointless and meaningless order. I only give orders that are necessary. I'm not an idiot."

"I was joking."

"Oh." Lelouch turned away from her. He walked towards his bed when he suddenly fell over and hit his head on the bookshelf. _"Ow!_ That's not good!" He yelped as he rubbed his head. As he stood up, something fell into his lap. It was a book he had knocked over. He picked it up and stared at the title. His eyes widened then.

"_Victoria Regina?" _He read the title aloud and sighed. Was it just him or did the letter seem to have a permanent grudge against him?

"Does someone have a fear of the letter V now aside from a fear of fire?" C.C taunted.

"Shut your mouth or else I will make good my promise to rip my credit card in half." Lelouch growled. What was it with his fear of fire, anyway? He'd always been afraid of fire as a child. He'd refused to come near stoves, fireplaces, even ovens, for fear of getting burned. His mother had always thought he was a strange child, but she had tried to help him find answers for his dreams nonetheless.

"You wanted to say burn, didn't you?"

"Are you picking on my brother about his fear of fire again, Miss C.C?" Nunnally interjected.

"No, Nunnally..." Lelouch said. He stared at the book for a moment and then put it down. He didn't even notice the slip of paper that fell out of it onto the floor. It was unseen by him but not by C.C, who picked it up and read over it. She smiled.

* * *

"So, like I'm trying to tell you, Dominic, I believe V may have been reincarnated!" Evey cried. It was no use reasoning with someone like Dominic about things like reincarnation. He was a firm skeptic when it came to such things.

"V is dead, Evey. Let it go." Dominic replied. "Reincarnation..._does not happen." _

"You're wrong! V is alive! I know he is! I met someone like him in a dream..." She trailed off, but then she blushed as Dominic started laughing.

"That's what _all women say-_I met him in a dream and he was so charming and handsome. I would take it most would never say they dreamt about their beloved terrorist being a handsome young man. Don't forget the white mask and a face they never showed." Dominic taunted.

"Shut up and listen to me, dammit! This dream I had is important! I believe he was reincarnated as someone. I don't even know who he could be. I barely even remember his face in the dream but he had oddly colored eyes."

Dominic decided to play along with her little joke. "...So, what color were this mystery man's?"

"...Purple, I believe." She said.

"Like Elizabeth Taylor purple?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"Anything else worthwhile? I mean, it's not like a dream is very reliable."

"Nothing much. I don't even remember his face." She said.

_V, if you have been reincarnated, we still need you. _


	4. Chapter 4 Unraveling the past

**A/N:Due to a loyal reader's insistence that I update, I will be updating this story now!**

**Chapter 4 Unraveling the past**

* * *

_**Who is that girl with blond hair? It's not Milly...who is it? It's not Nunnally, either...who is that? Wait up...**_

_He knew her. Her name was on his lips as he watched her. Dirty blond hair that was much paler than Nunnally's traveled down her waist and came to an abrupt stop near her chest, her honey brown eyes sparkled with some sort of inner light that only she could see and detect, and those smooth hands of hers...he knew her so well. Yet, what was her name again? _

_She turned to face him then, her brown eyes full of confusion as she studied him. "...Who are you, boy? Why are you watching me?" _

_He knew it. He was dreaming again. Evidently he was dreaming this entire scenario, nonetheless he decided to engage her in conversation. He opened his mouth. "...I couldn't help but notice that you look a lot like..." _

_"A lost lover? I've heard that many times already, thank you very much." The girl retorted, but there was a soft smile on her lips as she did so. "So, what's your name, Mr. Stalker?" _

* * *

_"...My little sister. My name is Lelouch __**vi **__Britannia." He introduced suavely, flashing the usual smile that he usually did at ladies. For some reason, he seemed to attract tons of women to his side. He didn't know why they did the things they did, though. _

_For some reason, the woman's facial expression changed for a moment. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open several times. "...V...no, you can't be. Are you really...?" _

_Lelouch stared at her for a few moments. "Am I really...what? What are you going to say about me?"_

_"...Is it really you, V?" She asked in shock before staring him up and down. "No, there's no way you're V. You're too tall." _

_Lelouch stared at her in shock. "What are you saying? My name isn't V." _

_"But you just said V in your name." The girl pointed out. _

_"True. But that's my middle name. I'm Lelouch, not this V person." Lelouch urged, trying hard to plead with this person. _

_"...Too bad, V. You had your chance. Now you must die." The girl said, and then she changed into the image of his mother's bullet-ridden corpse. Blood flowed from her lovely dress and slowly oozed down the stairs. Nunnally stared at him with terrified sky blue eyes. She never blinked again. _

_Lelouch looked around in shock and then he saw corpses all around him, their arms reaching up at him, trying to pull him down. "...You are cursed, Lelouch vi Britannia...cursed. You must die, V. Die...AGAIN." _

_"No...I don't know what you're talking about! I truly don't understand!" Lelouch cried, struggling to remove the hands that were now dragging him down, down, into the pits of hell..._

_"...Too bad, V. I really liked you. However, you cannot be allowed to live." The blond girl said, her eyes full of hatred as she grabbed at Lelouch again and dragged him down into the abyss. _

_"No! I don't want to go there! No, no, no, no!" _

_"...Lelouch?" _

_A voice cut through everything. Who was that speaking? Why did Lelouch know that voice? _

_"...Lelouch...come on..." _

_"No, I don't want to come with you! Unhand me!" Lelouch cried and struggled to free himself. _

_"...Come on. You need to wake up. LELOUCH!" _

* * *

Lelouch's eyes shot open and he realized then, that he was in the middle of the Student Council room. Apparently, he had been quite vocal in his nightmare, because everyone was staring at him with worried eyes. "...What?" Lelouch said coldly.

"You were screaming in your sleep, Lelouch. Are you all right?" Suzaku asked. His old friend seemed to be concerned about him.

"...Yeah. Just had some nightmares, that's all." Lelouch replied softly. His eyes softened as he noticed Shirley staring at him.

"Lulu, are you all right?" She asked gently. She had always been concerned about him, even though he had erased her memories of him and had killed her father as Zero, he still could not get her to stop caring about him, almost like a certain blond who had been loyal to him to the end.

_What was that sensation? Another bout of deja vu? I'm so sick of this stupid deja vu crap._

* * *

"...I'm fine." Lelouch lied.

"You don't sound fine, Lelouch." Nina whispered. She was staring at him with sympathetic eyes. "Why were you screaming for your mother?"

"...No reason." Lelouch remarked coldly.

"Yeah, how come I've _never_ met your parents?" Rivalz asked, trying to be friendly, but unfortunately he had hit upon a sensitive subject.

Lelouch flinched. "...Shut up."

Rivalz jumped. "What? I'm just curious."

"It's a sensitive subject for him, you idiot." Milly scolded gently. She had been very worried about her childhood friend lately. Ever since he had suffered from those nightmares of his, his attitude had become more sour and he had turned more cold towards her and the rest of the Student Council. "Right?"

"Yeah." Lelouch remarked before turning away. "The less talk about parents around here, the better."

"You're in a bad mood today." Rivalz said before sighing.

"Suzaku, how long did I sleep for?" Lelouch asked before stifling a yawn.

"Only around ten minutes, I think." Suzaku said. "Did you dream about fire and people burning to death again?"

"Yes. People kept on telling me to die." Lelouch said quietly.

Everyone grew silent.

"...That sucks, buddy. Maybe you're just too paranoid from all the terrorist attacks committed by Zero."

"The news said they're going to try to capture Zero again." Shirley said. "He's such a menace."

"I think he's sort of cool. Like a superhero." Rivalz said.

"...Don't endorse terrorists, Rivalz." Milly scolded before bopping him on the head with the newspaper she was holding. "We need to get back to work now, you guys. And that includes you, Lelouch."

"Damn." He remarked. "What do you have against terrorists, Milly?" He taunted.

"They're a nuisance to society."

* * *

"..._It is not people who should be afraid of their governments, it is the government who should be afraid of their people." _Lelouch remarked quietly.

"Whoa, Lelouch, where did you come up with that awesome quote?" Rivalz asked.

"What?" Lelouch asked, staring at him in confusion.

"You know, that really cool quote you said just now." Shirley added.

"I don't remember. I think I said something. I just don't remember what was said." Lelouch admitted before putting a hand to his temples. He shook all of a sudden. "Is it just me, or is it awfully cold in here?" He asked.

Everyone looked at him.

"It feels perfectly fine in here, Lelouch." Milly said. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Nah, there's no way my old pal Lelouch would get sick, right, Lelouch?" Rivalz said before slapping Lelouch on the back.

"...Stay away from me." He said softly.

"...Lelouch? What's wrong?" Suzaku asked.

"I won't let anyone touch me!" He cried.

"Lelouch, I think you're sick." Suzaku said. He felt Lelouch's forehead. "You're burning up badly."

"So? I can't go back to bed. I have to stay awake for Nunnally's sake." He said weakly before he tried to get up, and then he nearly fell over.

"Whoa. Lelouch, hang on. I'll take you to your room." Suzaku said before he caught Lelouch and then steadied him.

"...You don't need to do this, Suzaku. This is embarrassing. You don't have to carry me, you know. I'm fine with walking on my own."

* * *

The second the door closed behind the two of them, Milly turned to a worried Nina.

"Is there something wrong with Lelouch?" Nina asked worriedly.

"No, you guys. He gets this way at times. It means he's suffering some sort of psychological trauma." Milly said worriedly. "He's usually really good at hiding it, but Lelouch is actually a really fragile individual."

"Physically?"

"No, emotionally. He just tends to hide it. That's why you don't see him interacting with people too often. He just likes to push others away." Milly said.

"Then, does he push us away?" Shirley said in curiosity. There was an unexplainable emotion in her eyes as she stared at the closed door.

"I don't know, Shirley. I honestly don't know." Milly whispered.

* * *

"Lelouch, are those dreams plaguing you again?" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah." Lelouch said softly.


End file.
